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History of Wesnoth
This is a chronological history of the country of Wesnoth and surrounding regions, gleaned from written accounts and verbal histories passed down through the generations. Portions of entries surrounded by parentheses and containing a question mark are assumed or unconfirmed information. The history is sorted by era, and within the era by date, using the Foundation of Wesnoth as a base. BW=Before Wesnoth, YW=Years Wesnoth. They function the same way as BC and AD do in our timekeeping system. Each of the eras is summarized before the timeline for that era begins. This history of the Great Continent is a subject of active scholarship. The world that Wesnoth resides in is called Irdya. Before the Fall and the (unchronicled) technological age, this name is only rarely used. Prehistory - 20 YW: The Founding of Wesnoth During the age of the Founding of Wesnoth, there were two important geographic locations, these being the Green Isle and the Great Continent. Haldric is the main historical figure at this time. This age ends with the founding of Wesnoth as a country in the Great Continent, and with Orcs attacking both elves and men from the sea. Prehistory * Birth of the world. * Elves and Dwarves inhabit the Great Continent. * Humans inhabit the distant West. * Haldric's people colonise the Green Isle from a continent further to the west. 200 BW * The Lich-Lords arrive on the Green Isle after losing a war in the distant West. * After a long war Haldric's people come to dominate the Green Isle. * The 'Wesfolk' and their Lich-Lords are pushed onto marginal lands. 12 BW * The Crown Prince of Southbay discovers the Great Continent. 11-7 BW * The Crown Prince makes several voyages between the Green Isle and the Great Continent. 6 BW * Following these voyages to the Great Continent, the elder Crown Prince falls ill and dies. * His younger brother is implicated in a plot to kill him. * As a distraction the younger Prince starts a war with the Wesfolk and their Lich-Lords. * The Lich-Lords sense they will be destroyed and open gates to the homeland of the Orcs in the West. 5-2 BW * The Green Isle is overrun with Orcs. * The Wesfolk desert their Lich-Lords as they fear becoming prey for the Orcs. * Prince Haldric leads the evacuation of the survivors to the Great Continent. The Rise of Wesnoth begins. 1 BW * Human settlers, led by Prince Haldric, arrive at the western coast of the Great Continent (the landfall occurs in the future Bay of Pearls) in large numbers. * Humans arrive in the middle of a simmering dispute between the Elves and Dwarves. * The Elves and Dwarves are distrustful of humans, and there is a small skirmish. * Messengers from Wesmere Forest come and ask Haldric to come before the Ka'lian. * Prince Haldric asks the Four Elvish Lords (Dionli, Logalmier, Aryad, and El'Isomithir) for help and land. * They set before him four quests to prove his worth, which he completes. 1 YW * Haldric is granted the plains north and south of the Great River. * Haldric agrees to a Pact of Mutual Defence with the Elves, but the Ka'lian decides it will betray him and allow humans and orcs to exhaust each other in war if the opportunity presents. Haldric, learning of this, considers the Pact a dead letter. * The Ruby of Fire is temporarily hidden, and the lich-lord Jevyan is deceived into believing it is held by the Elves. * Haldric founds the country of Wesnoth in the central plain south of the great River. * Reign of Haldric I begins. The Rise of Wesnoth ends. 2 YW * Orcs, following the ships fleeing from the Green Isle, begin to arrive on the Great Continent. * These Orcs are defeated by Haldric's forces. * Some of the Orcish survivors flee back to the Green Isle, others move to attack the Elves. * King Haldric helps the Elves fight the surviving Orcs. 8 YW * A second wave of Orcs arrive from the Green Isle; these Orcs begin claiming large portions of the northern Great Continent for themselves. * Erlonas of Wesmere is involved in the first direct elvish clash with orcs (An Orcish Incursion takes place in 8-9YW). * Haldric I publicly repudiates the Pact he spoke with the Elves, refusing to give aid. 9-11 YW * Many Elves are killed in battle by the Orcs. * Elvish emissaries are turned away from Wesnoth. 12 YW * Kalenz escapes an orcish invasion of his home in Lintanir Forest. The Legend of Wesmere begins. * Orcs fail to take the Wesmere Forest and instead march down the coast, devastating human settlements there. * Elves refuse to aid the Humans in confronting the Orcs. * Human refugees from the coastal settlements relocate in what will become known as the Great Central Plain. Dan'Tonk, which will become Wesnoth's largest city, is founded. 20 YW * Haldric I dies. * Haldric II ascends to the throne. * Humans and elves decisively defeat the orcs at Weslath, thus halting the orcish advance. * A new treaty between humans and elves is signed and King Haldric II allows emissaries of the Elves to return to Wesnoth. * Elves inform Haldric II of the danger posed by the unshielded Ruby of Fire. 20-130 YW: The Taming of the Wild This era is that in which the kingdom of Wesnoth expanded and defined its borders, and settled the area which it had claimed for its own. The Taming of the Wild refers to the settling of the unsettled lands, as well as to the colonization of the Northlands. The end of this era is marked by friction between the city-state of Elensefar and the country of Wesnoth, which will continue for the next several hundred years. 23 YW * Kalenz and Landar, later to become successive High Lords of the Elves, are able to sneak into orcish camp by stealth and assassinate the Great Chief. A long orcish civil war for succession follows. The orcs are unable to undertake action against any other race during this period and Wesnoth enjoys a long period during which it can expand with little opposition. 24 YW * Kalenz is relieved of command by the Ka'lian. He retires to Lintanir Forest with Cleodil. A faction of xenophobic elves begins to gather around Landar. 25-40 YW * In 25 YW Haldric II sends an expedition to retrieve the Ruby of Fire from its place of concealment. * Haldric II commissions a Dwarven tribe to build the Scepter of Fire with the Ruby of Fire as its centerpiece; Elves associated with Landar's faction attack during the transfer. Scepter of Fire'' begins. * Action of '''The Scepter of Fire takes place. Haldric II is informed that the Scepter was both completed and lost in the year 40. It will not be recovered for nearly 500 years. 26-50 YW * Landar declares himself High Lord of the Elves, leading to civil war. 50-93 YW * Elvish civil war (and The Legend of Wesmere) ends. Kalenz declared High Lord, begins reorganizing and militarizing Elvish society to fight the orcs. In late 93 YW he cedes control to a reconstituted Ka'lian and retires again to the Forest of Lintanir. 121 YW * Orcish civil war sputters to a halt. Raids on elves and humans resume. Period of uncontested human expansion ends, but the Wesnothian Army is more than equal to any of its opponents in battle. 122 YW * City of Elensefar is sacked by orcs. * Meneldur, a sailor of Elensefar, sets out on a quest to regain the city. 123 YW * Elensefar is retaken by Meneldur along with Undead from the Green Isle. * Elensefar becomes an independent city-state for the first time. 161-164 YW * The newly crowned king sought to make safe once and for all the wildlands that separated the human cities surrounding Weldyn and the coastal regions of Elensefar. * The grand army of Wesnoth, personally led by the High Council of Archmagi, destroyed all enemies residing within Wesnoth. * The city-state of Elensefar is formally united to the kingdom. Settlements from it spread north of the river into the new frontier province of Annuvin, carefully avoiding the margins of Wesmere Forest. 164-176 YW * During this twelve year span, the western fortress of Halstead was erected in the very heart of the western wilderlands. 199 YW * Emboldened by the far-reaching arm of Halstead's protection, settlement in the west explodes * The cities of Aldril and Carcyn grow to become major cities, the first as an important port due to its position on the Bay of Pearls, and the second as a stop on the road to Elensefar and military outpost along the Great River * Settlers from Carcyn cross the Great River to establish the first settlements north of it 200-350 YW: The Golden Age of Wesnoth The Golden Age of Wesnoth was the time of the great kings, and of peace and prosperity within the kingdom. The Orcs had suffered a grave defeat at the hands of Wesnoth and Elensefar seventy-five years earlier, so they did not pose much of a threat, and whenever they did attack they were quickly defeated. This allowed the army to lessen in size, and the kings of this age to undertake the great public works they are renowned for. The era ends when the king of Wesnoth dies without an heir, and a new dynasty begins. 251 YW * Cleodil, wife of Kalenz, dies. 350 YW * Disintegration of the Kingdom follows the death of Haldric IV. * Elensefar remains a province of Wesnoth but exerts increasing independence due to isolation. * Treaty between lord of Elensefar and king of Wesnoth signed. 350-417 YW: The First Dark Age of Wesnoth The first Dark Age was a time of strife and invasion. When Haldric IV died, he left Wesnoth without a king, and the next 70 years were marked by short-lived dynasties, attacks by ever more aggressive orcs, and the further separation of Wesnoth and Elensefar. The Dark Age ended when Garard I took the throne, and began a new dynasty that would last for several hundred years. 353 YW * Village of Maghre terrorized by a minor necromancer. Action of A Tale of Two Brothers takes place. 360 YW * Malin Keshar born in Parthyn. 363 YW * Last of Kalenz's children dies. Kalenz, condemned to outlive his offspring by the potion of Crelanu, leaves the Forest of Lintanir and begins wandering the Great Continent. 389 YW * Garard, a future king of Wesnoth, is born. * Malin Keshar returns to Parthyn from the Academy at Alduin. Descent Into Darkness begins. 417-530 YW: The Turmoil of Asheviere King Garard's dynasty was long-lived and productive, but it was also punctuated by significant turmoil: the end of the first king's reign was marred by orcish and undead raids, and the second was murdered by his own wife and son. It was not until 517 YW that the usurpation of the throne by Queen Mother Asheviere was ended. 417 YW * Ending years of strife and division, Garard I seizes the throne and becomes king of Wesnoth, beginning the Garardine Dynasty. 440 YW * Crown Prince Garard II is born. 442 YW * Delfador, later called "the Great", is born. 450 YW * Prince Arand is born. 468 YW * Zorlan become Great Chief of the northern orcs * Delfador graduates from the Great Academy. Delfador's Memoirs begins. 470 YW * Orcs under Great Chief Zorlan and undead raised by the necromancer Iliah-Malal raid Wesnoth's borders. All but the first and last scenarios of Delfador's Memoirs (not yet mainline) take place in this year. * Control of the Estmarks is effectively lost during this war, not to be regained for decades. Outposts are built on the near side of the Weldyn to repel orc raids. The long watch of the River Guard begins. 473 YW * Garard I dies. * Garard II rises to throne of Wesnoth. 478 YW * Garard II marries Asheviere. * Garard issues the Edict of the Scepter, providing that the crown shall settle after his death on whichever member of the royal family successfully retrieves it from the Caverns of Flame. 480 YW * Crown Prince Eldred is born. 483 YW * Erain and Ethyn, identical twins and brothers of Eldred, are born. 498 YW * Princess Li'sar is born. 500 YW * Prince Konrad is born, the youngest of several sons of Prince Arand. * Wesnoth and the orcs of the north go to war. 501 YW Betrayal on the battlefield * Garard leads his army to orc encampment at Galcadar by the Ford of Abez. * Garard's forces split into two groups, one led by himself and the other by his son Eldred. * Eldred betrays his father and attacks him with the troops under his control. * Eldred slays King Garard and his uncle Prince Arand on the battlefield of Abez. Reprisal * Delfador escapes the battle and heads to Weldyn. * Eldred gives tribute to the Orcish king, who stops his attacks. * Delfador gathers a force of Loyalists to avenge Garard's Death. * Eldred's forces confront Delfador's Loyalists at Weldyn. * The Loyalists are defeated, but Eldred is slain by Delfador in the fight. Asheviere seizes power * Asheviere orders the slaughter of Garard's nephews and declares herself Queen of Wesnoth. * Hearing of the news Delfador infiltrates the palace. * Delfador finds the youngest prince Konrad as he is slain. * Delfador flees, taking Konrad's body for burial to the land of the Elves. * While traveling through Wesnoth, Elf Lady Parandra finds an orphaned human child. * Parandra and Delfador agree to give the orphan the identity of Prince Konrad. * Delfador and Konrad flee to live in refuge with the Wood Elves of the great southwestern forest. The country resists Asheviere * Elensefar refuses to submit to Asheviere and declares itself an independent city-state. * After several defeats, Wesnoth's army retreats from the remote areas of the kingdom. The western Wesnothian border recedes, is fixed, and remains heavily defended. * As a result of the loyalist withdrawal, several small human communities on the west coast of the Great Continent live in relative independence while elves flourish in the great forest to the southwest of Wesnoth. * A band of Wesnoth citizens organizes resistance to Asheviere's seizure of power. They are eventually forced to abandon their home and settle in the Three Sisters (Liberty). 502-517 YW * Delfador raises Konrad under the protection of the Elves. 517 YW * Asheviere hires Orcish forces to hunt down her nephew-in-law Konrad. * Orcish forces converge on Delfador's refuge. * Konrad flees his home with the elves and embark upon a quest to regain the throne of Wesnoth. Heir To The Throne begins. 518 YW * Konrad crosses the Great River into the Northlands on a search for the Sceptre of Fire. * They enter the Caves of Knalga, allied with Princess Li'sar, and find it. * They return to Wesnoth and claim the throne. Heir to the Throne ends. 522 YW * Birth of Princess Ana'sar. 530 YW * Wesnothian colonists begin reclaiming the Estmarks. 544 YW * With both sides of the lower Weldyn River again civilized territory, the River Guard posts south of Soradoc are abandoned. Wesnothian military activity shifts eastward into the Estmarks. 530-630 YW: The Age of Fear The Age of Fear takes its names from the events of the end of the era. On the surface, the first 90 years were every uneventful. However, during this time unexplainable magical events took place, especially in the eastern lands. Previously tamed lands were slowly claimed by wilderness as fear and paranoia gradually overshadowed the spirit of pioneering and adventure displayed earlier in Wesnoth's history. In the last 10 years of the age, Wesnoth bore the brunt of the most powerful Undead attack ever and was nearly destroyed. By the end of the era, most of Wesnoth had been made barren, most of the great buildings inside and outside of Weldyn were razed, and the population of Wesnoth was half of what it had been. It was in this era that certain areas of the chaotic Northlands were for the first time put into any kind of law and order. A small group of humans and dwarves, accepting anyone of any race who wished to join, formed themselves into the "Northern Alliance”, with the vision of making the Northlands safe to live in. Over time, this alliance grew slowly but steadily in power. By the end of the era, the alliance had succeeded in making a few small areas, including Knalga and the surrounding regions, stable and prosperous. Consequently, many people evacuated from the wasteland that most of Wesnoth had become and moved north - depleting the population of Wesnoth still further. 533 YW * Delfador succumbs to old age and dies, his body is entombed alongside his staff in Eregonor. * The next great sage of Wesnoth, Dacyn, is born. 534 YW * The small community of Dwarven Doors, in the Northlands just outside Knalga, rebels against the Orcish overlords. Northern Rebirth begins. * The residents, led by Tallin, head underground and find dwarves, whom they ally with. * Their combined forces destroy a lich who is attempting to claim Knalga as his own. 535 YW * The warlord-aspirant Rakshas attacks Tallin and his forces, but does not penetrate the dwarves' defences. * To help defeat the orcs, Tallin secures the help of two Liches, and rescues an elvish princess to secure the help of the elves. * Assisted by his new allies, Tallin smashes the forces of Rakshas. * According to some historians, Tallin and the elvish princess are married; others say they parted in bad blood. * To preserve the new-found peace in the Northlands, Tallin and his allies form the Northern Alliance. Northern Rebirth ends. 550 YW * Lord Hamel of Knalga sends an expedition to Kal Kartha to determine the fate of the Hammer of Thursagan (The Hammer of Thursagan takes place in late 550 YW to early 551 YW.). * Dwarves at Knalga and elsewhere begin to reclaim the lost art of runesmithing. * Wesnothian colonization expands southward past Fort Tahn. 563 YW * Konrad and Li'sar die after an extraordinarily long reign. * Princess Ana'sar becomes queen. * The seer Galdren becomes prominent at the court of Weldyn. 585 YW * Queen Ana'sar retires. * Haldric VII becomes king of Wesnoth. 589 YW * Dacyn the White Mage and Ravanal, an eastern wizard, compete to be the king's advisor. * The seer Galdren dies after advising Haldric VII to choose Dacyn. * The king does as Galdren advises. 593 YW * Ravanal reveals that he has turned to evil, and flees from Weldyn. * Konrad II is born. * Certain southern frontier regions are formally annexed to the Kingdom of Wesnoth as the Province of Kerlath. 598 YW * South Guard organized as a semi-detached formation of the Royal Army, to protect the inhabitants of the frontier province of Kerlath. 607 YW * South Guard ceases reporting. Haldric VII sends Deoran, son of Haldiel, to investigate. The South Guard takes place in 607-608 YW. 612 YW * Haldric VII dies. Konrad II is crowned King of Wesnoth. * Dacyn continues his duties as advisor with Konrad II. 625 YW * Mysterious disappearances of livestock and peasants cause partial evacuation of the the Estmark Hills. Lords of the Horse Plains report increased banditry from there. * Konrad II sends Dacyn with Owaec and Gweddry to man the old River Guard strongpoints. Eastern Invasion begins. 626 YW * Mal-Ravanal attacks the middle outpost where Gweddry and Dacyn are stationed. * Dacyn and Gweddry travel to the northern outpost, and, with Owaec, retreat into the northlands. 627 YW * Wesnoth's last defences are broken and the undead march on Wesnoth * In the northlands, the orcs drive Gweddry's army back across the river. * Weldyn is besieged. * Gweddry breaks through undead lines to reach Weldyn. * A council is held. * Gweddry's army is fortunate and kills Mal-Ravanal. Eastern Invasion ends. * Wesnoth is saved, but large portions have been laid waste by the undead. 628-673 YW: The Silver Age of Wesnoth The Silver Age, or restoration of the Wesnothian kingdom, essentially coincides with the rest of the long and successful reign of Konrad II. During this period Wesnoth largely recovered from the damage that Mal-Ravanal's undead attack had done. It would, however, never quite regain the majesty it had at the height of its power. The Northlands, aided by a second wave of colonization north from Wesnoth, become more civilised and stable. Although nowhere near as prosperous as Wesnoth was during its Golden Age, the Northlands developed towns of significant size and a thriving - if somewhat dangerous - trade network. Four major powers soon came to dominate much of the Northlands. First there were the dwarves, who controlled most of the mountains and a vast array of underground tunnels and caverns. To the east, shrouded in mystery, lay the Elvish forests which continued to be inaccessible to anyone not of elvish blood. The remaining landscape was dominated either by orcish tribes, or independent human earldoms. As competition for the land grew fierce, wars smoldered between human and orcish forces. 628-635 YW * Konrad II begins his attempt to rebuild Wesnoth. 673 YW * Konrad II dies, bringing the Garardine Dynasty to an end. Second Wesnothian civil war begins. 761-816 YW: The Legacy of Black-Eye Karun After decades of struggle, Black-Eye Karun becomes the first warlord since the assassination of Great Chief Brurbar in 23 YW to unite all the different squabbling orcish tribes under his banner. Among his many accomplishments as a Sovereign, his most famous is the creation of the Great Council. Karun was a far-sighted individual and he knew that after his death the orcish tribes would once again turn to fighting among themselves, with little he could do to prevent that and consequent peril from the Wesnothians and elves. Consequently, Karun selected from among all the different tribes six of the most sober and wisest orcs and thus created the Great Council. It was the Great Council's job to stay aloof from any tribal or territorial squabbling amongst the orcs, but yet always remain there to give advice to whomever came to seek it. In order to preserve the orcish race in the event of an emergency, he invested in them the power to call up The Great Horde. It was established that every orc, no matter what tribe he came from, must obey the summons of The Great Horde and follow wholeheartedly the leader that the Great Council put at the head of The Great Horde. 816 YW * Rahul I (Lord Protector of the Northern Alliance) and Black Eye Karun sign a peace treaty ending a 15 year war between the humans and the orcs. Soon after this Karun, is ambushed and killed in mysterious circumstances. 842 YW * War once again breaks out between the orcish tribes and the northern human earldoms as humans break the long standing treaty and attempt to colonise orcish lands. In response, the Great Council set up by the Black Eye Karun calls upon The Great Horde and bestows leadership of it upon Kapou’e; Son of the Black Eye begins. 843 YW * Half of the Great Council is treacherously slain by the allied human forces and orcish unity disintegrates. Faced with the extermination of all the orcs on the Great Continent, Kapou’e forcibly asserts his control over the orcish territories and defeats the enemy forces. The Northern Alliance arrives on the scene in time for the final battle and helps Kapou’e defeat the forces of the northern earldoms, who had broken the treaty. Kapou’e then assumes the position of Sovereign over the northern tribes, and his rule ushers in an unprecedented era of unity and prosperity for the orcs. 852 YW *Kapou’e repels a large elvish invasion. 858 YW *The humans once again stage an invasion but prove to be no match for the united orcish forces under the leadership of Kapou’e. Son of the Black Eye ends. After the Fall At some unknown point in the future, an unspeakable cataclysm scorched the surface of the lands. Forests died, hills turned into rocky wastelands and fields became barren deserts. In the apocalypse allies turned against each other and friends fought over what few resources remained. The great nations were destroyed, and huge numbers of people died. Still amidst the chaos somehow small groups of people survived, sheltered in hidden places. In this post-apocalyptic world survival is a daily struggle as a few remaining tribes eke out an existence among the ruins of fallen empires. Heroic bands of elves, nomadic refugee humans, savage hordes of orcs and dark necromancers all forge new lives under the merciless dual suns, Sela and Naia, of this new Wesnoth. ??? Post-Wesnoth * The Quenoth elves adapt to life in barren world of the Great Southern Desert. Over time they lost their affinity for the woodlands of their ancestry and embrace life in the sandy wastelands. * Under the leadership of Tanuil, the Quenoth elves build and sustain a fortified village around a rare oasis. The village thrives amidst the hostilities of the desert. * One night, a meteor storm rains from the sky and destroys the village of the Quenoth elves. The next day, Tanuil, like many others, is missing and presumed dead. Kalehssar (Kaleh), nephew of Tanuil, takes leadership of the remaining Quenoth elves as the surviving next of kin. * Kaleh, heeding the voice of his god Eloh in his dreams, gathers the remaining Quenoth elves and leads them north to a new promised land, foregoing rebuilding of their desert village. * The Quenoth elves battle their way north through Undead, Orcs, Bandits and other evil, venturing underground beneath a large mountain range at the command of Eloh. * Befriending unexpected allies underground, Kaleh's forces survive to the other side of the mountain. * Keratur, son of Tanuil and survivor of the cataclysm, insane with fright attacks Kaleh. Kaleh defeats Keratur. * Kaleh defies commands given him by a vision of Eloh. * The Quenoth reach the ocean. Aided by Merfolk, they escape the mainland and head for a newly discovered island, a place where the Quenoth may settle in peace. * On the island, the Quenoth confront Yechnagoth, the Eater of Souls and impersonator of Eloh. Yechnagoth and army are destroyed by the Quenoth. * Kaleh and the elves settle on their newfound, and newly named, Quenoth Isle. History Credits * Timelined by Kamahawk and Turin. Revised to incorporate material from later version of Legend of Wesmere and reconcile different versions of the history of the Scepter of Fire by Eric S. Raymond. * History derived from: ** Eastern Invasion ** Heir to the Throne ** Legend of Wesmere ** Liberty ** Northern Rebirth ** The Hammer of Thursagan ** The Rise of Wesnoth ** Under the Burning Suns * Setting details derived from: ** Invasion from the Unknown See Also * Wesnoth * Poetry of Wesnoth * Races Category:History